A Game of the Mind
by IzzyGirl45
Summary: Edward and Alphonse Elric have been given a new mission to track down a dangerous man. Little do they know that there is more to it than meets the eye.
1. A Twisted Invention

**Hello there all you readers. First of all thanks for clicking and being willing to read. This is my first fic and kinda nervous for how it will turn out. But I guess I should probably let you be the judges. ENJOY!**

**Disclamier: I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist (sniff) all rights go to** **Hiromu Arakawa**

* * *

><p>"Welcome Fullmetal"<p>

Roy mustang leaned over and stretched out his hand to the short, golden hair teenage boy standing on the other side of the desk. He looked down at the hand, staring at it like you would at a poisonous snake, and then folded his arms across his chest. Roy withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair.

"Just as charming as ever I see. Did you grow since the last time that I saw you?" Roy cocked his head and looked the boy up and down, then smirked. "Nope, still just as short."

One of the boy's arms dropped to his side, while he brought the other one up and clenched his hand into a fist. His golden eyes narrowed, his face grew dark and his whole body started to shake. He opened his mouth and Roy braced himself for the onslaught of terribly off based accusations and colourful words that would soon spew out. But before the boy could utter a sound, a big leather hand came up and rested on his shoulder.

"Big brother, it's okay." A soft voice whispered. Roy's eyes flowed from the leather hand to the tall body of armour standing behind the boy.

"Well, hello Alphonse."

* * *

><p>Ed grit his teeth and slowly lowered his arm to his side. Al was talking calmly with the Colonel now, but he still kept his hand on Ed's shoulder. Most likely he thought that he was going to have to restrain him again. He might just have to if this kept up, Ed was still shaking.<p>

_Stupid dammed Colonel! First he calls me here on a Saturday, and then he starts insulting me. Just who the hell does he thing he is anyway?_

Al's hand squeezed his shoulder and Ed realized that he had been clenching his hands and muttering to himself. He clamped his teeth shut and forced his hands open, then he shoved his right hand into his pants pocket and fingered the silver watch inside.

"So Colonel, is there a reason that you called us here today?" Al asked. The Colonel opened a draw in the desk, pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the desk in front of them. Ed reached over and picked it up. It was a drawing of a middle aged man with dark hair, high cheekbones and glasses. His hair was pulled back behind him and he had a small beard. He also had a scar on the right side of his face running from his hairline to his lip where it pulled the corner of his lip up into a permanent sneer.

"And just who is this supposed to be?" Ed asked slapping the paper. "Is he a friend of yours?" The colonel stiffened and shot a glare at Ed who shrugged.

"His name is Michael Phelps." The colonel said laying his hands on the desk. "He knows Alchemy and is real good at it to. He was actually a State Alchemist and he-"

"Wait" Ed injected raising his hand. "You say 'was', what happened to him?"

The Colonel winced. "You may be short but nothing much gets by you does it Fullmetal?" he sighed. Ed tensed and he started to shake, but Al squeezed his shoulder again. "It's true; Phelps is no longer a State Alchemist. When he was called in for assessment a couple of years ago he asked for a few more days to finish a project. When the days passed and he still had nothing to show, they took away his license and left him a normal Alchemist." The Colonel shook his head. "It's too bad too, he was real good and that project he was working on seemed important."

"Ok so this is all fine and dandy to sit here and cry because some guy failed his assessment, but you still have one question to answer." Ed leaned forward and put his hands on the desk. "Why are we here?" The Colonel stood up and walked over to the window, placing his back to them.

"Phelps was spotted a week ago living outside of Central. A patrol stumbled upon him in the woods and when they tried to talk to him, he attacked them with Alchemy. But it was extremely powerful, more than he could muster up by himself.'

Al leaned over the desk beside Ed. "What exactly are you getting at Colonel?" The Colonel just stood there, staring out the window. "Colonel?" Still no response.

"Dammit Colonel!" Ed shouted slapping the desk. "What is it?" The colonel turned to face them, his face tense and his hands stiff at his side.

"Somehow, Phelps has a Philosopher Stone." The words hit Ed like a punch in the stomach. He and Al looked at each other and then back at the Colonel. "And that's not all. Apparently he used this stone to finish his project" The Colonel walked back to his desk, pulled out another piece of paper and slapped it on the desk in front of them. Another drawing, but this one looked like a bug.

"What the?" Ed said picking up the paper and studying. The whole thing was made of metal. Its 6 tiny legs, and the body, but its small red eyes were glass. Ed handed it off to Al, and then turned back to the colonel. "Just what is that thing?"

"After the first run in, we sent many troops to get Phelps and bring him in for questioning. They were attacked with Alchemy as well, but some surviving soldiers said that they were also attacked by their own men! When the search party went and rescued the survivors, they found a dead man with this on his neck. They brought the man back and drew this picture. We wanted to take it apart, but the second it was removed, it self-destructed.

"So do you know what this is?" Al asked gesturing to the picture he still held. Ed felt a shiver go down his spine. He had a feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"We had the doctors perform an autopsy on the body and they found something very interesting. Apparently that thing uses its 6 tiny legs to dig into the person's neck and attach itself to the central nervous system. From there it can manipulate the bearer. "

"Now hold on a second. You're telling us that that thing can control a person?" Ed asked pointing to the picture Al was still holding.

The Colonel nodded. "Essentially, yes. That's why those men were attacked by each other, because some of them were being controlled." The colonel reached up and rubbed his temples. "It is quite a problem, and frankly I can't figure out why he's being so stubborn. This brings me to the reason you're here." The Colonel put his hands firmly on the desk and leaned towards them, his expression serious.

"Fullmetal. I want you to go and bring back Phelps and his twisted invention."

* * *

><p>Ed walked down a quiet sidewalk, kicking rocks out of his way and watching as they bounced out into the street. "You know, I really dislike that stupid bastard Colonel." Ed said, giving a stone a good hard kick, sending it flying to the other side of the street. "He really makes me mad!"<p>

"Yea, I noticed." Al replied, walking beside Ed. The familiar creaking of leather straps against armour filled the emptiness in the air. "So we're going after this Michael Phelps guy?"

Ed grunted. "It's not like we have a choice. According to the Colonel he can't do it himself because he's too busy with 'other work'." Ed snorted. "He probably sits on the phone and talks to girls all day." Ed pretended to hold up a phone, and then made a face.

Al laughed. "Yea, you're probably right. So how are we gonna tell Winry? We were supposed to show her around Central while she's visiting. She's only here for a few days."

Ed bent down, picked up a rock and turned it over in his hands studying it. "Don't worry about it. I already called the hotel and they wrote down a note and had it delivered to her hotel room. She'll get it." Ed hoped that she would understand and leave the subject alone. If he had told her in person, she would have asked questions and would have wanted an explanation. That's why he had used a note. Then again, the note would really only postpone him having to answer them, because knowing her, she would ask them when they got back.

"So, do we know where we're supposed to go?" Al asked looking up and down the street. "You still have the map that the Colonel gave us right?"

Ed reached into his red coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Yep. It's right here." Ed unfolded it to reveal a map of Central and its surrounding grounds. Just outside the south side of Central in a small forest was Michael Phelps's location, which the Colonel had circled with a red marker. "We gotta turn left on this street coming up." Ed said pointing a head with his free hand.

"Okay." Al said. "Let's find Michael Phelps and bring him back in time to take Winry out to dinner." Ed and Al looked at each other and laughed.

_Yea._ Ed thought. _Let's make this short and sweet so I can get back to my Saturday._

* * *

><p><em>Those dummy heads! This happens every time I'm with them. Their always in a rush t<em>_o go__ somewhere, or do something. So they just take off and half the time I don't even get a proper god-bye._

Winry laid the note back down on the table where she had found it. Ed and Al were supposed to be giving her a tour of Central, but this morning Ed got a call from Colonel Mustang. It must have been important because Ed said he had to go meet him for a little bit, and Al tagged along. When they hadn't returned by noon, she went to lunch by herself, called Granny and then returned to the room to find this note waiting for her. A short note saying that they wouldn't be back for a while yet, they had to go find someone and talk to them about something.

"Oh, sometimes they make me so mad!" Winry snatched up the note again. "If they think that sending me a note will stop me from asking question then they're so wrong! Why I atta!" Winry crumpled the note in her hand, chucked it as hard as she could at the wall and watched, satisfied as it bounced off and tumbled under the bed.

Winry nodded her head in satisfaction and then placed a finger under her chin.

_I suppose I'll just go and explore Central by myself, seeing as my escorts aren't here to show me around._ Winry thought as grabbed her coat off of the bed. _Let's see, Ed and Al both said that the South side was the least busy during the day. I guess I could start there. _

Winry continued to plan out the rest of her day in her head as she closed the door behind herself and locked it tight.

* * *

><p>"Big brother, are you sure this is it?" Al asked. They were standing in front of a broken down shack. Gaping holes had been hastily covered up by stripes of cloth or chunks of wood. A single window had a ripped and dirty sheet hanging in it and the door creaked as it swung on a small rusty hinge. Small, twisted metal shapes lay scattered in bushes, trees and scattered across the ground. A string of cans hanging in a tree clanged together in the wind.<p>

"Well this is the exact location on the map." Ed said, glancing back and forth from the piece of paper to the shack. "But it doesn't look like anyone's here. Maybe he left after that last attack." Ed sighed. "I suppose that we should go and check it out, since we came all this way already." He folded the paper, put it back in his coat pocket and started towards the shack.

"I actually kinda hope that no one is there." Al said as he caught up to Ed. "This place gives me the creeps. I mean, it's so quiet and…well…eerie." Al laughed. "You know, if I had hair, it would probably be standing straight up hey big brother?" Ed didn't answer. "Big brother?" Nothing. Al gasped and he quickly whirled around, searching for him.

Ed was standing behind Al, his back to him, facing the trees. His whole body was tense and his head swivelled, scanning the tree line behind them.

"I just got this feeling that someone is watching me. Like someone is hiding in the trees right now." Ed explained peering into the forest. "But I can't see anything."

Al sighed in relief. Good, for a moment he had thought that something bad had happened to Ed. "Big brother, we're in a forest that probably has wild animals in it. It could just be a squirrel or something."

"Maybe." Ed said turning around. "Or maybe I'm just paranoid." Ed shook his head and peered up at the sky. "Whatever it was we can't waste time worrying about it. If we're going in we gotta hurry, because those clouds coming in look full of rain." Ed walked to the shack, opened the door and walked inside. Al took a peak at the forest behind him, shrugged his shoulders and followed Ed through the doorway.

* * *

><p>A chuckle escaped from somewhere in the forest, and drifted through the air until the wind grabbed it and carried it off. Then a faint sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs, as a shadow moved further back into the trees. <em>Golden hair in a braid, red coat and short. The Fullmetal kid. Which meant the big suit of armour was his little brother. <em>

The shadow chuckled again. It'd been hoping that they would send those two, but never thought that they actually would. They were all playing right into its hand without even realizing it.

The shadow moved swiftly through the growth, heading straight to a certain tree. There the shadow stretched a hand into a knot hole and pulled out a shiny metal box. It opened the lid and smiled at what lay inside. The new upgrade made especially for these two guests.

"You don't know what you're getting into Fullmetal." The shadow cackled. "This is just the beginning. Shall we play?"

* * *

><p><strong>So that's chapter 1. Please review if you enjoyed and remember all people who review will get 100 Griffin kisses. :D Everybody loves those right? <strong>


	2. The Game Begins

**Had this chapter stored up on my compuper so thats why it has come so fast. Thanks to all of you who reviewed my last one, really boosted my confidence. :D The griffins should arrive wherever you are in the next few days so prepare for your kisses. Hope you enjoy Chapter 2 because I believe it's a good one. **

* * *

><p>Ed pushed open the door and stepped outside. They'd been in there for a couple of hours and had nothing good to show for it. The biggest thing they had found was something that looked like research notes. The only problem was that lots of pages were missing, making the rest impossible to understand. Ed reached his hands up and stretched, sitting in a cramped shack for a long time had made him stiff. Just then something cold and wet splashed onto his face. He wiped at his face with his coat sleeve, and then looked around. Small raindrops had begun to fall.<p>

"Hey Al." Ed called back into the shack. "Come on, we gotta go. It's starting to spi-." Ed jumped as another one hit him in the eye.

"What did you say big brother?" Al asked stepping through the door way. The minuet he stepped outside, the forest was filled with the ringing sound of water hitting his armour. "Oh, it's starting to rain." Al said holding out his hand. "I wish I could feel it. I've always liked small showers like these. HEY!" Al shouted, jerking up and swinging his head around to search the tree tops, knocking a clay container over in the process.

"What's wrong Al?" Ed asked, taking a step towards him.

"Oh, well it just sounded like something hit the back of my neck." Al answered shaking his head. "Must have just been a falling nut or something."

"Um, okay. Sure." Ed shrugged. "But now you gotta fix that container. Remember we gotta leave everything the way it was, or Phelps might come back and see that someone was here." He said gesturing to the container laying in pieces on the porch.

"Oh, right. Okay." Al looked down at the pieces and then back up at Ed. "Um… brother?"

Ed sighed and reached into his coat pocket. He withdrew a small wooden box with the Alchemist sign etched onto the top. He popped the latch and opened the lid to reveal long pieces of white chalk sitting inside. He pulled one out and tossed it to Al, then closed the lid and replaced the box in his pocket.

Al kneeled down and carefully drew a transmutation circle on the porch. Then he placed the pieces of clay within the circle and stood up. He held his hands above the center of the circle, there was a flash of blue light and the container sat in the middle of the circle, as good as new.

"Good job. Now don't forget to sweep up that circle." Ed said and turned around. "Well we had better get movin. We want to get as close the Central as we can, just in case it starts to pour." Ed started forward, swinging his arms back and forth as he walked. "It really is too bad we couldn't find anything, that's just gonna make our job harder. Well we'll just take Winry out tonight, report what we found to the Colonel in the morning, and see if he has any other leads for us. How does that sound Al?... Al?"

Ed stopped. He couldn't hear his little brother walking. "Al, are you still there?" Ed started to turn, but then he heard it. That faint whooshing sound of something traveling through the air towards him.

Ed ducked and watched as Al's fist went sailing through the area where his head had been. "Al what gives?" Al didn't answer but instead brought his left leg up. Ed blocked the kick with his right arm, and then ducked again to avoid Al's on coming punch. "Al what the heck are you doing?" Ed continued to block fists and legs as Al kept firing them at him. "AL!"

Ed looked up in time to see the punch flying straight for his head. He reached up and grabbed it, holding on tight with both hands. "Al seriously. Why are you doing thi- UGH!" Al's surprise kick caught Ed square in the stomach, propelling him backwards. He did a backflip and landed on his feet, skidding back on the loose dirt. "Al this is no time for sparing! We gotta go!"

Al chuckled. But it wasn't the normal high, carefree chuckle of his brother. This one was low and gruff. "You think someone would know when their getting attacked. You're not that bright." Al said straightening. Even his voice sounded different. What was wrong with Al? What in the world could've gotten into his little brother?

Ed tried to straighten, when a searing pain jabbed in his middle. Ed wheezed, doubling over and grabbing the area Al had kicked. Al chuckled again. "Al, what the hell is going on?" Ed shouted. Al slowly turned and Ed gasped. Red eyes peeked out from the eye holes of Al's helmet.

"More than you could imagine Fullmetal. More than you could possibly imagine."

* * *

><p>Winry sat down at a small table by the window to wait for her coffee. She'd been out window shopping when it had started to rain and she had dashed into this coffee shop for shelter. Now she sat and watched contentedly as big raindrops fell from the sky.<p>

She remembered back when she was little, playing outside in the puddles during a shower like this. Ed and Al had always been right beside her, trying to get her and each other soaked. Winry smiled as more memories came flooding back from those carefree days spent with the two people who meant the most to her, minus granny of course.

"Here's your coffee ma'am." A serving lady said as she set down a mug full of steaming black liquid, along with containers of cream and sugar. "This will no doubt feel good on such a miserable day." Winry thanked the women, handed her the money and then reached for the sugar.

Once her coffee was just right, she picked it up and turned back to the window. As she had walked around Central looking at the goods sold here and there, she had started asking people questions. Just subtle things, like did the State Alchemist help a lot of people? Was there anything happening in Central that the State Alchemist would be involved in?

People went on and on about the generosity of the State Alchemists, how they were always willing to help out. But for the second question most of the answers she got were shrugged shoulders and "I don't know". She had a few people walk away without answering; obviously those were the people who knew things.

"And I'm telling you, they are being so secretive lately."

Winry sighed. The ladies at the table next to hers had been gossiping ever since she had gotten in here. She had been trying her hardest not to listen, but it wasn't working.

Just then there was a tap on her shoulder. She looked over into the face of one of the women sitting there.

"Sorry to bother you dear." She said smiling. "But me and Elise here were just wondering what your opinion was. What do you think?"

Winry looked at her, totally confused. "Um…about what exactly?"

The two women looked at each other and laughed. "Why, about the military of course." The women named Elise said. "About how secretive they are being about, well everything."

"It's a good thing my husband works for the military, he comes home and I force him to tell me everything he knows about that day." The other lady injected. "But of course, that doesn't mean he tells me everything, he is still serious about his work and 'would like to keep it'.

A light turned on in Winry's head. If this women's husband worked for the military, maybe he knew some stuff about the State Alchemists and their jobs. She could ask this lady what he knew.

"Well, there is one part of the military I've always wondered about." Winry placed her coffee back on the table and leaned forward. "I've always wondered just what goes on with the State Alchemists. You know, what kind of jobs they get."

The women flashed a sly smile. "It just so happens that I talked with my husband this morning, and he said that a State Alchemist was sent on an important mission not too long ago. Had to go take down a rouge alchemist just outside the Southside of the city, or at least that's what he told me. Not that anyone would tell him more than that.

"I tell ya, it's not right for the military to be so secretive." Elise said, waving her hand in the air. "We the people deserve the right to know just what the military is up to, I mean it is our tax money that their using on their 'Secret Projects'!"

"Very interesting, but I'm afraid I can't talk anymore. I have somewhere I have to go." Winry stood up from her seat and grabbed her coat. Then she waved good-bye to the women and headed for the door.

_So that's where they went. _She thought as she stepped out into the pouring rain. _Knowing Ed he'll probably get into a fight and make trouble for him and Al. I should get down there and make sure that idiot doesn't do anything extremely stupid._

The rain beat down on her face, but she ignored it as best she could as she made her way to the south city exit.

"He better not break his automail!"

* * *

><p>Ed groaned and slowly opened his eyes; he must've blacked out for a second. He was laying face down in the mud, soaked to the bone from rain that was still pouring down. He brought his hands underneath him and tried to raise himself to his knees, nearly falling back down as pain radiated through him. Every part of his body was either throbbing, aching or had full out pain zigzagging through it.<p>

Ed took a deep breath and winced, nearly crying out. His ribs hurt more than any other part of his body, they must be badly injured. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the tall tree standing behind him. The tree with the huge crack across its front, which meant it, was the same tree Al had thrown him into. He had slammed into that area, cracking it open and then fallen to the ground.

The clanking sound of metal boots and armour pierced the air and filled his ears. Ed looked back in front of him and there was Al, walking slowly towards him. He pushed himself the rest of the way to his knees, ignoring his screaming body.

"You bastard! What have you done to my brother?" Ed shouted at the armour. Al answered by bringing his right leg up and sending a kick straight at Ed's head. Ed ducked, the kick just missing him, but the movement set him off balance and he fell onto his back. Before he had a chance to do anything, Al's right hand shot out and grabbed Ed's shirt collar. Ed wrapped both his hands around Al's wrist as Al hoisted him high up into the air.

"I told you this already." Al sneered. "You can't change what's going to happen; you might as well accept your fate."

Ed sighed. Whoever this person was that had taken over wasn't going to stop. Now there was only one thing he could do. "I'm sorry Al." Ed let go of Al's wrist and clapped his hands together, bringing them down toward Al's arm.

"Oh no you don't." Al's left hand shot out and grabbed Ed's metal arm, just below the elbow. "I'm not going to let you destroy my arm so you can get away. I should have taken care of this at the beginning. Opps." he chuckled. "Allow me to fix my mistake."

Al's grip on the automail tightened. The sound of straining metal grew louder, and with one big twist, the bottom half of Ed's arm broke free. Ed watched in disbelief as the automail hand and forearm were thrown behind Al into the forest.

Al brought his left palm up and smashed the bottom of it into the place where the automail and his shoulder connected. White hot pain tore through that spot and Ed screamed. Al dropped him onto his knees and brought his right leg up again. The pain was so great, Al's movements so fast that Ed couldn't bring his arm up in time to block it. The kick caught him across the jaw and sent him flying. He landed hard on his back in the mud a few feet away.

"Give him back you bastard." Black spots danced across Ed's vision, he could fell his awareness slipping away. He coughed and blood squirted out of his mouth, dripping down his chin. His body ached, but he barely felt it over the searing pain of his shoulder. Even that was slowly fading. Through his blurred vision, he could make out Al moving towards him.

"Please…give me back my brother. Give me back Al" Ed whispered as the black spots grew bigger. "Al…Al….al…" Then Ed slipped away into the blackness.

* * *

><p>THWAK! A branch swung back and hit Winry in the face, but she refused to notice the sting as she pushed her way through the trees. Her clothes were ripped and muddy from the many times she'd fallen and her hair had been plastered to her face by the rain. She ploughed through the underbrush, the searching for Ed and Al.<p>

_Where are they? This forest can't be that big; I should have run into them by now._ Winry picked up a big stick and used it to hack her way through a thick wall of branches. _Maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere. Maybe I shou-_ Winry's thoughts were cut short as an agonized scream reached her ears, the sound rising just enough so she could hear it over the pounding rain.

Winry gasped as she suddenly realized that she'd hear that scream before. It was the same one that had slipped out of a little boy's mouth during a painful automail surgery her and granny had performed a few years ago. It was almost identical, except that this one seemed to carry more weight. It was as if someone's heart was being broken while they were going through intense pain. Though it was slightly different the scream was diffidently from the same person.

"ED!" Winry shouted as she tore through the branches, her heart racing ahead of her. What if she was too late? What if something terrible was happening to him? What if he was-?

_No! _Winry's thoughts screamed at her. _Not that! Anything but that! _She just had to make it in time, she had to.

Winry burst through a row of bushes and stumbled into a small clearing. She wiped cold rain water out of her eyes so she could see better, but the sight that greeted her made her wish that she hadn't.

The place was a disaster. Whole trees and branches were snapped almost in half and tall stone spikes protruded out of the ground near her. Small remnants of blood were clinging to bush leaves and some was smeared across a cracked tree.

Winry placed her left hand over her mouth, trying not to throw up, when movement to her right caught her eye. A tall body of armour stood alone in the middle of the clearing.

"Al!" Winry called out to him, but Al didn't seem to know she was there. He was slowly moving towards something near the far side of the clearing, a small mound. As Al walked his shadow moved to the left a little and Winry caught sight of a boot, but this boot was black with an elevated sole.

"Oh no." She whispered. "Ed." She started to shake

"Al!" Winry called again. "Al what just happened here?" Al still didn't answer her. She felt a sense of desperation well up in her. "What happened to Ed?" Al stopped in mid stride, and then slowly lowered his leg.

"Give it up little girl." Al answered his voice unusually low. "There is nothing you can do to save him. The Fullmetal Alchemist is mine." With that Al started towards Ed again. Winry gasped, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What did you do? Al, what are you doing?" Winry shouted at Al's back, but it didn't make a difference. "Al please!" she pleaded, but Al kept moving. "STOP!"

Winry raced forward and hit Al over the head with all her might, using the big stick she still held. Something fell to ground in front of her and then exploded into a puff of smoke. Winry dropped the stick and sank to her knees in the mud. Tears spilled out from her eyes and trickled down her face. "Stop"

* * *

><p>Al jerked as trees filled his vision. Trees? He was laying on his back staring up at the branches of a tall pine tree, other trees rising tall on either side. The pinging sound of rain hitting metal hung in the air and Al could see big rain drops pouring down. He shuffled his body and heard a squishing sound; he looked down and saw that the forest floor had turned to thick mud.<p>

_What the heck?_ Al thought shaking his head and pushing himself to his feet. _Last thing I remember I was standing just outside the shack and it had just started to rain._ Al scuffed the mud with his metal boot. _It wasn't pouring and the ground was dry._

Al stopped, listening as a quite sound drifted through the air. _Is someone crying?_ He slowly turned around and there kneeling in a clearing in the mud a few feet away from him was Winry.

"Winry!" Al pushed past the bushes in his way and ran over, reached down and placed his right hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Winry's head shot up and she looked at him, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes widened in horror and she scurried back from him. "Al? Is that really you?" She asked, her eyes drifting to peer past him to the left than shifting to staring at him as if trying to decide whether he was real or not. She crouched a few feet away, all muscles tense like she expected him to pounce at her.

"What are you talking about? Of course it's me." Al tried to assure her as he slowly inched forward. "Why are you here? What happened, this place looks like a war zone."

Winry looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "You're asking me what happened here?" She asked in utter disbelief. "Don't you remember?" She started moving further away from him, concern crossing her face.

Al shook his head. "N-no. The last thing I remember is standing outside the shack with big brother." Al gasped as his head shot up and he scanned the area. "Where's big brother?" She stopped moving and didn't answer. "Winry, where's big brother?" Al repeated frantically. Her lips parted, but still she said nothing. "Please tell me!"

Winry turned her head and burst into fresh tears. She slowly brought a shacking hand up and pointed past Al's shoulder. Al whirled around and looked in the direction she pointed, but all he could see over there was a small lump. No, not a lump, Al corrected himself looking harder. It's a body!

"Big brother!" Al cried as he ran over and dropped to his knees beside Ed. "What? What happened?" Al stared down in disbelief at Ed's motionless body.

His red coat was missing and his black jacket lay not too far away, all shredded up. The right side of his black shirt was ripped and hanging down his front and his paints were ripped open in many different areas, showing angry red cuts on his skin. His hair elastic had snapped, leaving his muddy golden hair spread out around his head in the mud.

His face was crisscrossed with cuts still trickling blood and a big splash of it, originating from his mouth, dripped down his chin. Purple bruises were starting to form on his jaw line and forehead, and his lips were cracked. Blood washed over the area his automail and shoulder connected, almost covering up a yellowish-black bruise.

That's when Al noticed it. Ed's automail arm was there from the shoulder to the elbow, but then it just ended. The forearm and hand were gone! The automail at the elbow was all twisted up, meaning that the rest had been ripped off.

"Who could have done this? Why wasn't I here?" Al asked the air as he reached out and lightly brushed Ed's hair out of his face. He gasped and a sense of horror ran through him. His right forearm was covered in blood. Not just his right arm, but his left forearm also. Al looked down and saw the splattered red spots all up his chest plate, upper arms and shoulders.

"What is this?" Al asked in horror. He looked back at Ed, and there on his right shoulder was a bloody left hand print. It was too big to be a normal person's hand, and there were no finger prints. Al looked down at his own leather hand, and as if in slow motion, he reached out and lightly placed his hand over the print. It was a perfect match.

"No." Al whispered, starting to shake. "No, NO!"" Al threw back his head and cried out to the sky. _Th-this ca-can't be! I couldn't have do-done this! I want to. Why would I? I wouldn't._ Al reached down and scooped Ed up, cradling Ed's limp body in his arms, his ragged uneven breathing echoed in Al's empty armour.

"How? Why? I just. I ca-can't. I didn't want." Al tried to get out the words as he gently rocked back and forth.

A combination of sobs and hic-ups reached Al and he looked to his right. Winry was kneeling right beside him. She was clutching Ed's red coat to her chest and even though she'd buried her face in it, her cries were still loud.

"No." He heard her whisper. "No." And Al repeated it over in his head. This wasn't real, this couldn't be happening!

"BIG BROTHER!"

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh cliff hanger. Aren't they just amazing? :D Oh and to all you who have already read this chapter, yes I edited some things. Christmas break is comming up so I'll probably have more time to write like crazy and get the next Chapter done. Remember, all who review will get a nice big slice of virtual pie! Your choice of what type. ;) Until then<strong>

**IzzyGirl45**


	3. Surprises

**Hey Guys. FINALLY AN UPLOAD! I know that's what you're all saying. Christmas break was good to my mind and now I have the next chapter up, and hopefully chapter 4 will not be too far behind. Oh and thanks to you all who reviewed, it means a lot! You guys rock! Now one more piece of business left to address. **

**Dear Loyal Readers:**** Over the course of time that it has taken me to make this next chapter, many of you have been voicing the same question. How was the metal mind controlling bug able to attach and control Al since he is just a soul in a suit of armor and has no spinal cord or nerves? Well, to all of you asking this question, I would like to assure you that there is indeed an answer to this (which I will not be revealing at the moment) so there is no need to strain your brains anymore. All I ask is that you be patient and wait, for everything WILL be revealed in time! :) **

* * *

><p>Blackness. It was everywhere. It stretched to the left and the right. Above and below, continuing on as far as eternity.<p>

Ed floated in this blackness. It surrounded him, wrapping him up and filling his vision. He was floating down or at least the direction he thought was down, he couldn't tell which way was which here.

Ed had a sudden urge to move, to try and escape this blackness and senseless floating. The urge was there but not the actions, as his body didn't seem to want to respond. He should have been filled with panic, but he wasn't, in fact he felt almost nothing.

Suddenly a bright flash of white exploded just in front of him and he brought a hand up to his eyes, trying to shield them until they adjusted. There was a figure standing in the middle of the light. Ed squinted, trying to see just who it was, but with the light still shinning right into his eyes, he couldn't quite make it out.

"Edward," a soft voice called from the light. "Edward, is that you?"

Recognition clicked in and Ed gasped. It couldn't be, it just wasn't possible. He started to shake uncontrollably, disbelief filling him and his mind not willing to comprehend it. He had to be dreaming.

"Edward. I've missed you." The figure surrounded by light reached out a hand towards him. "Come here, I have much to tell you," the gentle voice beckoned.

"Mom?" Ed whispered, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. His flesh hand reached out towards the figures hand, his heart longing for what he hoped he would find.

Ed tried to propel himself forward, straining to touch the hand of the person he missed most. To feel the familiar warmth of that hand and to eventually wrap his arms around the body it belonged to. He longed to be held again.

"Mom," Ed said again as he drew ever closer. Their fingertips were just inches apart. His heart pounded like a drum in his ears and he tried to force his arm to stretch the last few inches. But just before he made the connection, the hand pulled away.

"I'm sorry Edward," The figure sighed. "I can't do it." The figure turned away and started retreating into the light, which was slowly getting smaller.

Ed started to panic and he desperately reached out towards the light. "Mom," He called. "Mom please don't go! Why can't you stay with me?"

The light continued to fade, but Ed still held onto hope that his mom would turn around and come back to him.

"I can't do it Edward," The soft voice repeated out of the sliver of light left. "I can't because you failed me. You are not my son."

The light disappeared and Ed was left alone in the blackness once again, those last words ringing in his ears.

* * *

><p>Roy Mustang sighed as he sat down behind his desk. A stack of papers sat in front of him, their very presence threatening his day and settling him into a bad mood. Dammit how much he hated paperwork.<p>

A flash of bright light lite up the room for a split second and then vanished just as fast. A loud clap of thunder followed, rumbling through the office and momentarily drowning out the sound of rain hitting the windows. The rain shower that had started yesterday afternoon had taken a violent turn and had become a loud thunder storm.

Roy shook his head trying to clear it, but to no avail. Ever since the storm had started, he'd gotten a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, and no matter how hard he'd tried he just couldn't shake it. He had lain awake in his bed; tossing and turning all night, and not being able to figure out why had slowly frayed his nerves and set him on edge.

Roy had just pulled a piece of paper off of the top of the pile and had started to study it, when the big doors at the far end of his office opened. He looked up to see who it was, smiled and then laid the sheet down, the report written on it totally forgotten.

"Well hello Lieutenant Hawkeye," Roy said as he stood up from his chair.

Lt. Riza Hawkeye strode across the room dressed in her blue Central uniform, the material crisp and clean as usual. Her shiny blonde hair was flipped up behind her head and fastened securely with a brown metal clip. She was totally serious as she stopped in front of the desk and gave a stiff salute.

"Colonel Sir," she said staring straight ahead, her whole body posture was that of a soldier showing the proper respect to a superior officer.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Roy asked, trying to hold back a smile. It was always amusing that she insisted on complete formality even when they were alone. Amusing and slightly irritating.

Lt. Hawkeye lowered her arm and stood at attention, not relaxing a bit. "May I be so bold as to ask a question regarding some of your actions?"

"Sure. Ask away."

Her gaze shifted from staring past him to looking directly at him. "Why did you send them out to do it?"

Roy felt confusion wash through him as she gazed at him intently. "Send who to do what?" He asked, reaching up and scratching his head.

He was surprised when he saw irritation flash into her liquid brown eyes. Irritation at him? Clearly he shouldn't have needed to ask that question.

"I mean the Elric brothers. Why would you send children out to do a soldiers work?"

Roy was momentarily stunned by the Lieutenant's change of attitude, but he recovered quickly and gave her a sly smile. "They are hardly children Lieutenant, and I don't think that Fullmetal would have appreciated that comment if he'd heard it. Also if you remember, we already sent soldiers to do the job and it was mass destruction," Roy stated, gesturing to the reports still on his desk.

"Phelps has already proven that guns aren't gonna work, so the next choice is Alchemy. And who better to handle this then one of our best State Alchemists?"

"That's not the point!" Lieutenant Hawkeye shouted, taking a step towards him. Her eyes had morphed into brown flames and her hands were clenched into fists at her side. "No matter what you say, they are still _children_ and you shouldn't have sent them out there, at least not without back up!"

Roy stood there shocked to silence. The Lieutenant had never acted this way to him before. The sudden change from the calm collected soldier to the fiery women standing in front of him was utterly un-believable. Frankly he didn't know what to say.

"Why haven't they returned? Why haven't they shown up at the base yet, they should've hours ago," she asked, what sounded like desperation filling her voice.

Roy walked over and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you worry about a thing Lieutenant," he told her reassuringly. "It's probably the storm. Once it started to get bad they most likely went to seek out some shelter. You know how Fullmetal is; he can take care of himself and Alphonse. I'm sure their fine."

Just then the door burst open and Lieutenant Hawkeye whirled around, her hand going for her gun though there was no need. Jean Havoc stood there leaning on one of the doors huffing and puffing, his blonde bangs blowing up and down with the motion of his breath.

"Colonel!" He gasped, gulping air into his lungs. "I came as fast as I could, It's Ed and Al.

Lt. Hawkeye gasped. "Have they returned? Are they here at the base?" She asked hopefully.

Roy's own beating heart sank as Havoc looked up at him. The heavy look in his eyes was speaking volumes.

"We just got a call," he continued. "Something has happened."

* * *

><p>Winry woke with a start to the sound of movement. She slowly lifted her head, blinked and then reached up to rub the blurriness out of her eyes. At first she had forgotten where she was, but the distinct smell of medicine brought her memories back in a rush.<p>

She looked up and saw a doctor trying to move quietly around the room, he must have been the one to waken her. He was packing away rolls of bandages and smelly medicines onto a small trolley on the other side of the room. She caught sight of an old bloody bandage sticking up in a garbage can attached to the side of the trolley.

The doctor turned around and froze, obviously startled to see her awake. But he quickly recovered and flashed an encouraging smile, moving in front of her view of the garbage.

He was fairly tall with black hair that was tied back behind into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had a small patch of hair on his chin, the type that some might generously call a beard. The smile gone now she noticed that the corner of his lip was pulled up a little. She connected it to either something from birth or an accident in his past, so she tried to be polite and not linger on it. The rest of his body was well built, with somewhat broad shoulders and a sturdy chest.

He flashed another smile and then walked over and clasped her shoulder. "It's going to be fine," he said gently his voice low and gruff. Then he walked back to his trolley and as quietly as possible, pushed it out the door.

Winry watched him go, filled with confusion. He seemed genuinely caring and considerate, why else would he take the time to reassure her? Yet, something about him didn't seem right, his voice for one. It sounded familiar, where had she heard it before? Since the moment she'd seen him she sensed this air about him that made her feel uneasy.

"Ah, you're just tired and paranoid," she chided herself. She tried to force her brain to accept that answer, but she only succeeded in pushing the feeling back into her mind.

"Oh, you're awake," a soft voice said and Winry looked over to her right. There in the corner was Al, sitting with his knees drawn up and his helmet tilted to look at her.

"Hey Al. You haven't moved and inch."

Al said nothing, but instead turned to look in front of him. Winry's eyes followed his gaze to look at the hospital bed.

"Did he wake up at all last night?" She asked. Al shook his head and looked back at her.

"You look terrible."

Winry chuckled. "I guess I do at that," she said scratching her neck. "I hardly got any sleep last night." She reached up and stretched every muscle in her body stiff. A stiff backed, un-cushioned hospital chair was the least comfortable place to fall asleep.

"You should go downstairs to the cafeteria and get something to eat. It'll make you feel better," Al advised, still watching her.

Winry jumped as a flash of lightening lite up the small room, the loud crack of thunder following right on its tail. _It's still storming huh?" _She thought, giving herself a shake. _That's just great._

"I think I might just do that. Thanks," she said to Al as she rose slowly from the chair. She forced stiff and cramped muscles to move as she made her way to the door.

"Oh, just wondering." She stopped just before going out. "Did you see the doctor that was in here not too long ago?"

"Oh him, yea I saw him." Al nodded, his helmet and chest plate clanging together. "You know, it's the strangest thing," he continued sounding thoughtful. "I just feel like I've seen his face before, but I just can't place where."

Winry shrugged. "Maybe you'll remember by the time I get back. I won't be too long, I promise. Oh and have someone come and get me if he wakes up before I get back." With that she slipped out the door.

Winry stepped out into the hallway and hurried forward, searching for the correct hallway. She was so absorbed with the task of finding the way to the cafeteria that she didn't notice the group of uniformed, Central soldiers that passed her. Nor did she notice the doctor with the trolley standing quietly on the opposite side of the hall from the room, watching.

* * *

><p>Roy stopped in front of a door, the number 114 painted in black on the window. He heard Lieutenant Hawkeye breathe deeply, and the others, Fuery, Breda and Havoc, shuffle around behind him. Each one just as nervous and as he was. The nurse at the front didn't have much information to give them when they'd stopped there to get the room number.<p>

_Flashback_

_Roy looked over the high front desk counter, watching as a young nurse scrawled something on a slip of paper. She handed it to him and when he looked at it he saw the number 114 written on it, along with precise directions on how to get there._

_"Thanks," he said, pocketing the slip of paper. "Now can you tell me anything about what happened to them?"_

_The nurse sighed, reaching up to massage her temples with her fingers. "All I know is that someone saw some guy in a suit of armour and a young girl stumbling down the streets near the south exit yesterday late afternoon. The armoured guy was carrying a kid covered in blood in his arms. The person phoned us and we sent an ambulance to go pick them up. When they got here the kid was breathing funny, so they took him the emergence room. The doctors got him stabilized so they moved him into that room at around three this morning. That's it," she finished, looking back down at the papers on her desk, and obvious dismissal._

_Roy looked back to the others and shrugged. "Well thanks anyway," he told her again. "I guess we'll just go see how he's doing and maybe we'll get the story from his brother, which was the guy in the armour you know."_

_The nurse looked back up at him, surprise replacing the tired look on her face. Roy smiled at her and then turned on his heel and started down the hall, motioning the others to follow._

_"Wait!" The cry stopped Roy just in front of the door to the stairs. He turned around and saw the nurse running towards them, waving her hand. She stopped just in front of him, sucking in air before straightening and brushing off her dress._

_"You're not going to have much luck getting anything from his brother," she told him. "When they first arrived, he seemed pretty shakin up to me. Once the doctors took the kid into the emergency room, he just sat there in that corner chair, all drawn into himself. Not even that girl could get him to respond, he just sat there, staring at nothing and muttering to no one. When he learned that the kid had been moved to a room he begged and pleaded to be allowed to go up there. He's been there ever since."_

_The nurse took a deep breath before continuing. "All I'm saying is that he needs some time before he can answer any question. After you go check on them, I would suggest you go see Dr. Gibbons. He was the kid's main doctor and he can tell you more about what's wrong then I can."_

_Roy nodded his head, thanking her once again and telling her that he would make sure to do just that. Then he turned and he, followed by the other soldiers, started up the stairs._

_End of Flashback_

Now they all stood in front of the room on the paper, each one tense. They were walking in blind, not knowing what to expect to see once they opened that door.

Roy squared his shoulders and reached for the door handle; there really was no reason to stand here and worry. He grasped the round, smooth metal and gave it a sharp turn, pushing the door open and striding into the room.

He got about three steps in before he stopped, causing Lieutenant Hawkeye and the rest to collide into his back, almost knocking him over. So much for a routine entry. But it didn't really matter Roy told himself as his eyes took in the sight before him.

Alphonse sat in the far corner of the room, his arms encircling his drawn up knees. He must not have heard them enter, nor was he even aware of their presence, because he didn't even stir as they all crowded in and closed the door. He was staring intently at the bed in front of him.

On that bed laid Ed's motionless body. His golden hair lay gently over the pillow and a bandage was wrapped around his forehead. His face was turned to the left away from them, but Roy could see the faint purple colour of a bruise around his cheek. His arms were laid over top of the blanket and even though he was wearing a hospital gown, Roy could see the end of a big clump of gauze peeking from the right side of the collar.

He heard Hawkeye's quick intake of breath and he followed her gaze to Ed's right arm, the automail one. There his eyes froze, refusing to go further.

The bottom half of the arm was gone! The automail from his elbow to his fingers was not there, and the metal left at the elbow was bent and twisted.

"Alphonse, what happened here?"

Al's helmet shot up, obviously seeing them for the first time and clearly startled he hadn't noticed them before.

Roy repeated the question again and watched as Al's hands came up to cover the eye holes in the helmet.

"I don't know!" Came the wail from the depths of the armour.

Lieutenant Hawkeye rushed over and knelt beside him, patting his head and whispering to him. Roy just stood there, watching, unable to say anything.

* * *

><p>The nameless doctor eased away from the door where he had been listening and smiled to himself. He had succeeded in this first step, and now everyone was on their toes with question bouncing around in their head.<p>

He allowed himself a small chuckle as he walked back to his small trolley. Using the excuse of changing bandages was a good way to get into the room and study Fullmetal's conditions. Or Ed, as his companions called him.

"Ed," he said quietly, trying out the word. Yes, the name suited the fiery teenager with the strong spirit. He would enjoy toying with that spirit, to see just how strong it really was.

He was tempted to whistle to himself as he pushed the trolley down the hall. He resisted though, not wanting to draw to much attention.

The younger brother popped into his head. This first step must have been too much for him, seeing as how he stared right at him and wasn't recognized. The two brothers seemed very close, judging from both of their actions yesterday. He tucked that information away, just in case he had use for it later.

The doctor stopped at a storage closet at the far end of the hallway. He opened the already un-locked door and stepped through, leaving the trolley where it was. No one would really notice anything strange about it sitting there, after all this was a hospital.

Once inside, he started shuffling a few things around. The few convenient stray boxes around the room were lifted and neatly stacked up against a wall. From there he stepped up on top of them so he was just under the celling.

He reached into a pocked in his white coat and withdrew a round, smooth stone. It was about the size of the middle of his palm and the color of blood. He smiled down at it, and then reached up and placed his hands firmly against the celling, the stone in his right hand.

A blue light filled the room for a moment, and then flashed and he took his hands away. That area of celling was gone, a big gaping hole in its place. He smiled again and grabbing hold of the edge of the hole he hoisted himself up.

He sat inside a tube for the ventilation system, the air smelled musty and a hot breeze blew against him before echoing its way down the tube. He pulled his feet clear of the hole, then placing his hands on either side, he closed the gap.

Next he pulled the white coat off his back and laid it flat on the tube floor. He placed his hands and stone against the fabric and with another flash of blue light, changed the color to black. He put the coat back on and tucked the stone back into the pocket.

Getting onto his hands and knees, he crawled forward, following the sound of dripping water. It lead him to a hole in the top, which was connected to a wider tube that leads to a vent on the roof. The perfect exit.

He wiggled up and gently removed the vent cover. From there he pushed himself out and onto the roof. He got to his feet and looked up to the sky, letting the pouring rain fall onto his face. The gray, depressed clouds filled him with happiness.

He reached up and lightly touched his fingers to the right side of his face, and then brought them back down so he could look at them. The tips were covered in a wet skin color mixture which he had used to pat on his face that morning. The purpose was simple, to cover up the scar that ran down his face and pulled his lip up.

He out right cackled with glee, staring down at the temporary cover up that the rain was in the process of washing away. All it would have taken was one bead of sweat to slide down his face and his cover would have been ruined. It was a chance he had taken with stride, knowing full well what would've happened had something gone wrong. My how he loved living on the edge.

He reached up and stretched, moving his head from side to side to crack his neck.

"Well now," he said to no one in particular, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get started on phase two."

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you have it, chapter 3. Hope you all weren't too miffed about the long wait, so I'll try to finish the 4<strong>**th**** one soon as a reward for your patience. Oh and reviews really help the process *wink*. See you in the next chapter! **

**IzzyGirl45**


	4. Emotions Are High

**Uh...hey guys. *dodges flying tomato* Okay I probably deserved that. But look, before you call the malitia and start sharpening you pitchforks I wanna let you know I feel really bad for leaving you guys for like, what, almost 3 months now. I've just been so busy lately with...well...life in general and I have had hardley anytime to work on this. Not to mention that I had the biggest case of Writers Block known to the history of man! And for some reason, I found this chapter to be such a hard one to write. And *ducks as knife flys through the air* okay, that was a little extreme. **

**But let me just say this, to all of you still stickin with this story, I LOVE YOU! (in a totally platonic way) You guys make me so happy and I can't imagine what I would do without any of you so thank you thank you thank you. Well here's Chapter 4 as a peace offering. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hmm...last time I checked my birth certificate it did not say Hiromu Arakawa so yeah, not mine. **

* * *

><p>Roy Mustang casually glanced at the white walls on either side of the hallway as he followed the nurse who had come to fetch him from Ed's room. As he walked, he wondered absently about the color. Hospitals had always been white, it was a known fact, but as he looked at them now he found them a little depressing. Now they seemed cold and unwelcoming, not something he would want to see every day as a patient. They should change them to a brighter, happier color.<p>

Roy shook his head in an effort to clear his mind of the absurd thoughts. He didn't know what had brought his mind to that subject, but now he looked around for something else to focus on. His eyes fell on the nurse in front of him.

She looked young, around early twenties he estimated, with raven black hair falling in natural curls to the middle of her back. She was wearing a white dress, the kind every nurse wore, that came down just above her knees. It fit her beautifully, the material showing every curve of a wonderfully structured body. As she walked her hips swayed in a rather enticing way and Roy sighed, she probably didn't even know she was doing it.

Abruptly she stopped and Roy almost ran into her, so captivated he was with studying her. She turned to a door on her left with the words 'Dr. Gibbons' written on the window in thick black paint. She opened the door and stepped into the room, Roy following not far behind.

They crossed to the middle of the room and stopped by a desk. The nurse turned to him and gestured to one of the chairs sitting in front of him. "If you could wait here, the doctor will be right with you," she said, her big dark brown eyes meeting his.

"Only if you come back with him Shelia," he answered, reading the name on her ID tag. Her big pink lips parted into a smile and she rolled her eyes playfully, trying to suppress a giggle as a hint of red touched her cheeks. She winked at him, then turning on her heel, swayed out the door, closing it firmly behind her.

The office Roy stood in wasn't big, small in fact compared to his, but it was put together rather nicely. The walls were light beige, the carpets under his feet a dark forest green. A small bookshelf stood against one wall stuffed with books of all sizes and thickness. More sat on the top right corner of the desk in front of him along with a bunch of papers which were strewn haphazardly across the surface of the dark wood. They looked like different files with patients names written on them in black ink by a neat hand. The two chairs in front of him were made of the same dark wood, and the green cushions were a slightly lighter color than the floor. The high backed, black leather chair standing on the other side of the desk and a framed Doctor's Degree hanging on the back wall completed the furnishings.

Roy heard the door open behind him and he turned around to see a man, who he assumed immediately as Dr. Gibbons, enter the room. He was shorter than Roy and rather bust, the belly straining the middle of the white coat he wore. He had a rather chubby face with round checks, a thick moustache and the beginnings of a double chin. Gray tinged the hairline of his short dark hair and his thick eyebrows were drawn close to his eyes, freezing his face in the look of permanent thought.

"Are you Colonel Mustang?" he asked while closing the door behind him. Roy nodded and the man looked somewhat relieved, as if he had been worried that Roy was someone else. He crossed to his desk and sat down in the black leather chair, motioning for him to have a seat in one of the other ones. "You're here for the Elric boy right?" Roy simply nodded his head in response as he pulled one of the chairs out and sat down on the stiff cushions. As he did the doctor pulled another file out of a small drawer and then pushed the small piles of papers to the side of the desk so there could be some kind of space to set it down.

"Now before we begin I want to ask you a question." Dr. Gibbons placed his hands on the file and looked Roy straight in the eye. "I know that you're said to be the officer in charge of him, but isn't there a parent I can call? The boy's not yet old enough for me not to bring someone in and I feel one of his parents should be here."

Roy sighed and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry but there is no one else. Both of his parents are gone and I have no record of any other relatives besides his brother, but he is not in the right frame of mind to be able to handle this meeting."

"Oh." Dr. Gibbons looked taken aback at this and he stared off into the distance as if reliving an old memory. Suddenly he shook his head and adjusted his coat, his eyes once again coming to focus on Roy. "Well I guess you'll have to do then," he said almost to himself, and then opened the file. He pulled out a single sheet of paper and put on a pair of spectacles he'd pulled from his pocket.

"Let's see, to begin with he needed fifteen stitches in his right shoulder for a deep gash which was caused by that metal arm of his digging into his skin. If it had gone any deeper he would have needed a while lot more, but thankfully we could stop at fifteen. That spot is gonna be quiet tender for a while because of the stiches and that bruise in the same area. Along with the stitches, he also has two fairly bruised ribs and one on the left side of his back that has a fracture. Because of this, when he wakes up he's probably going to experience small trouble breathing but nothing extremely major or life threatening. Breathing should steadily get easier within a couple of weeks. We also had some suspicions of eternal bleeding caused by that fractured rib but when we checked we found that the body and already taken care of that on its own."

Dr. Gibbons paused and looked up at Roy, no doubt to see how he was handling the information. He simply stared back at him, face expressionless. That's when he realized that the doctor wasn't going to continue until he was absolutely sure that Roy had absorbed all the information. So he nodded and motioned the doctor to continue. The doctor silently studied Roy for half a minute, and then glanced back down at the paper in his hands.

"The boy also has a grade two concussion cause by all the blunt force it seems he received to the head. His un-conscious state shouldn't last much longer, and when he does wake up he might start complaining about feeling nauseous. This is completely normal and is expected of him, but if he starts complaining about having blurry vision I advise you to try and keep him in bed and if he must get up make sure someone assists him for he will no doubt be unstable and not able to balance as well. This should get better in a day or two at the most, and the rest not much longer. Lastly, because of all the bruises on his face and jaw line it will be a little uncomfortable to eat, so while he stays here his meals will be soft food only and when he does leave I'd advise you to make sure he doesn't eat anything hard until it starts getting better."

"Taking all this into consideration, I would like to keep him here for 3 days so we can monitor his progress and see if there was anything else we missed. After that he can go home but he will need to be back here 10 days later so I can check up on his injuries, and if he has been careful with how he uses his right arm the stitches may come out to."

Dr. Gibbons replaced the paper back in the folder, pulled off his spectacles and looked Roy in the eye. "Now I could prescribe a bunch of fancy pills for him to take to help, but really all the boy needs is rest and lots of it. His fractured rib should only take six weeks to heal if he takes it easy, but action that would put any type of huge strain on the body will only hinder the healing process. So I'm tasking you as his commanding officer with the job of making sure he gets this rest."

_Yea, he'll get it _Roy thought as his face set into a look of determination. _He'll fight me every step of the way but I'll make damn sure he gets it if I have to strap him to his bed, lock the house door from the outside and swallow the key!_

"Don't worry," he said. "With me and his little brother on his case, he'll get all the rest he needs and then some." Roy smirked to himself, he could just picture what that conversation was going to look like.

"Good." Dr. Gibbons brought up a hand to wave Roy out of the office, then hesitated and set it back down on the desk. "You know," he said, leaning forward slightly. "I never heard about what exactly happened to him to cause him injuries like that. But judging by what I have seen, I'm thinking it wasn't a good situation, and if it's as bad as I think it was that boy is damn lucky to come out as he is. Now I'm not one to stick my nose into other people's business, but unless it's something you probably shouldn't talk about would you mind telling me what that boy was doing that got him so beat up?"

"You're right," Roy said getting up from his chair. "It is something I shouldn't talk about." _Because hell, I don't even know. _That's when something occurred to him that he hadn't thought to try yet. _But I think I know someone who does._

* * *

><p>The single white door stood before Roy once again, and just like before he hesitated. The door itself was not a threat, in fact it was a shield as much as anything else. It was a mask, a clean white barrier that hid a gloomy scene beyond, a scene he would like very much not to see. It wasn't that it scared Roy, far from it actually. The reason he was reluctant to enter was he didn't want to carry out his plan. Didn't want to have to hold his head high while he slowly picked a young boy apart with memories, memories that were no doubt haunting him at that moment and were forcing him to relive the nightmare.<p>

Roy reached up and with accurate precision, slapped himself across the face. _Dammit! Get a hold of yourself Roy. You're charming, good looking and the Flame Alchemist to boot. You've faced countless attacks and threats to the country and survived the Ishbaln war. Hell, you even survive everyday being in the same office with a beautiful women without asking her out. Nothing in this world could possibly be harder than that?_

But none of that changed the fact that he still didn't want to do this. Not yet anyway. But it had to be done and the longer he waited, the worse it would be when he finally got around to it. God this was worse than paper work!

Roy let out a sigh knowing he couldn't hold it off any longer. He squared his shoulders, lifted his head and headed in.

The air in the room could only be described as one thing, heavy. He could feel it the minuet he stepped in, pressing on him from every side and weighing him down. The fact that there was no sound in the room didn't make it better and suddenly the paper work he had left at the office didn't look so bad. But the people that he had left in the room when he was called out hadn't changed at all.

Leaning against one wall close to the door was Havoc, arms crossed and frowning at nothing. One of his hands twitched and he shifted his weight a bit so he could see who was entering the room, but he hadn't moved from that spot. Roy glanced at the clock and smiled to himself. Havoc was making a new record for the longest time he had gone without a cigarette. Roy wanted nothing more than to give him leave to go out back, but he was the only one around to stand guard besides the Lieutenant and he was going to need her. Havoc would just have to wait a little longer.

His attention shifted to the only two chairs in the room which were pressed against the back wall. Lieutenant Hawkeye occupied the one closest to him and she lifted her head slightly to make eye contact with him so he knew she had seen him. Her attention immediately went back to Al who was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up and staring straight ahead at the hospital bed. Hawkeye placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and her eyes softened as she looked at him. Roy's stomach tightened but he barely paid attention to it. It was too late to turn back now; he needed to do what had to be done.

"Alphonse." The helmet tilted slightly to look up at him. "Alphonse I need you to come with me. There is something we need to talk about."

Al just sat there and stared at him blankly. "Talk?" he asked.

"Yes Alphonse, talk. That's all." Roy replied while putting on a small smile. Al looked at him, then shook his head and turned back to the bed.

"I can't. What if he wakes up while I'm gone? He'll need me."

Roy frowned and opened his mouth to order Al to come with him at once, when he caught the look Hawkeye gave him. A look that told him quite clearly that she would handle this and that it would be in his best interest to stand there and wait.

"Alphonse," she said as she turned back to him. She waited till he looked up at her before continuing. "You have to understand that no one is trying to take you away from Edward. Whatever it is that Colonel Mustang needs to talk to you about must be important or he wouldn't have asked you to come with him. Besides, if Edward does wake up while you're gone, I'm sure Havoc would send word to you immediately."

Al glanced over to Havoc who smiled and waved back. He sat still for a moment, starring at his own feet. Then with a sigh accompanied by the creaking sound of leather against metal, he stood up. "Then let's just go. The longer it takes the longer I am away from him. And I'm tired of being gone when it counts." The last part was just a whisper, so quiet that Roy thought he was hearing things. But then Al was walking past him and out the door and Roy and to hurry to catch up, motioning Hawkeye to follow.

Roy led them to a small alcove hallway that had a few chairs pressed up against the walls. Roy sat on one side, and Al and Hawkeye sat on the other. For a moment they sat quietly, him and Hawkeye watching Al while he stared at his hands.

"Well Colonel," Al said breaking the silence. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Roy cleared his throat and tried to silence the protesting voices shouting to him in his head. "I need you to remember back to yesterday and tell me about what happened to you and Fullmetal after you left my office." Silence hung in the air, then Al's shoulders slumped and his head fell into his hands.

"I can't!" he cried. "It's too painful. Besides I don't know everything about what happened." Hawkeye placed a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up at her.

"It's alright," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Just tell us what you do remember. It'll help Edward if you can tell us." He seemed to be comforted by her touch and soon he was looking back at Roy.

"Alright," he said as he leaned forward in the chair. "I guess it started when big brother and I arrived at Michael Phelp's place."

* * *

><p>Winry sighed to herself as she tried to settle deeper into the hard hospital chair curling her fingers around the cup of coffee in her hand in order to warm them up; the small room was fairly cold. She had returned from the cafeteria to find a blue clad officer leaning against the wall in Ed's room that seemed just as startled to see her as she was to see him and it took a little time to figure out who he was and why he was there. Second Lieutenant Havoc was here watching out for Ed while Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye were talking outside with Al. After finding out that she was Ed's close friend he had stepped outside the room to leave her alone with him for a while.<p>

He hadn't changed at all. Still lying in bed in the same position as when she left earlier that morning. It was disheartening to see him like this, looking so vulnerable, and dare she say it, small. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes from wandering to his right arm, or what was left of it, but against her wishes that is right where they ended up. Seeing the twisted metal at the joint where the elbow should have been made her cringe.

Over the years Ed had broken his arm before, but never like this. Most of the time it was a clean break, pieces coming unlocked, screws flying free and the arm just disconnecting, but never like this. Never ripped from the rest of his arm and tossed aside like it was a piece of garbage. It made her feel disgusted and angry towards the one responsible for this.

Her eyes wandered back up to his face, swallowing in the sight of him breathing to calm her down. That's when an unexpected memory jumped her. The memory of another time where she sat beside a bed, watching him breathe hoping he would come out okay. The only difference was he had had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and the stump of his leg left, and he had been younger. She had sat there, arms wrapped around herself trying to reassure her mind, her heart that he was going to make it, but she had felt useless to stop anything that might happen to him.

And that's exactly how she felt now. Useless.

A quiet mumble brought her out of her trance and she held her breath as her eyes flew back to the bed. Ed had moved a little and was mumbling something incoherent, the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile.

Winry sighed and shook her head. After all this excitement he was having a dream, and a pleasant one by the looks of it. She couldn't help but wonder what about and she stared at him harder, trying to force their minds to meld so she could see what was going on in that head of his. Was he dreaming about her?

She could feel her cheeks start to heat up as she quickly buried the thought deep into her mind, feeling a bit alarmed with herself that she didn't feel all that disturbed at thinking it.

She didn't have much time to dwell on her slightly creeper thoughts because at that moment a small, pathetic moan reached her ears and forced her attention back to the bed in front of her.

Ed was shifting slightly on the bed, his face no longer peaceful looking. His brow was furrowed together in a look of confusion and he grimaced slightly as another moan escaped his lips.

"Ed?" Winry asked as she leaned forward in her seat. She reached out and placed a cautious hand on his leg all the while speaking to him calmly. The moment her hand made contact all hell broke loose.

Ed let out a strangled shout, his leg jerking out of her grasp. "Ed," Winry shouted as she jumped up from her seat and attempted to get a hold of his shoulders and calm him down. She gave a yelp of surprise and pulled back as she felt something connect with her arm leaving that area stinging. "Ed," she called out again, squaring her shoulders and bracing herself before she launched back at the bed and the flailing limbs. That's when she felt two hands close on her shoulders, firmly anchoring her to that spot. She looked up to see Havoc standing behind her, muscles tense and eyes locked on the hospital bed in front of them.

Two doctors and a of couple nurses rushed to the bed, blocking her view of Ed. A sense of urgency filled her at the thought of them possible hurting him and she tried to push forward past the doctors in order to reach him, but Havoc's grip tightened, forcing her to stay put and watch.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doctors pulled away and Havoc released her shoulders, stepping back to talk with the doctors by the door. Winry slowly approached the bed and looked down at the now still figure in front of her.

The nurses had stuck him with a sedative to calm him down and to avoid the risk of further accidents; the doctors had strapped his arms and legs to the bed. Winry reached out and smoothed down his tousled hair, biting her lip to keep herself from crying.

It had all happened so fast and she was still trying to comprehend what had happened, the physical lash out of a nightmare probably. But now he lay there, restrained to the bed and the blank look of a drug induced sleep on his face. She hated this, hated seeing him like this and all she wanted in the whole world was for him to wake up.

* * *

><p>Roy turned down a hallway and stopped to lean against the wall, bringing his hands up to his face to massage his temples. He never thought he could have an interview that could be so emotionally taxing. The story Alphonse had told him was short, bits and pieces from his memory, but it had taken quite a while to tell. The boy kept cracking, stopping to put his head in his hands and try to compose himself. Hawkeye had been a big help but it was still a very long process.<p>

Roy was on his way back to Edward's room, leaving Alphonse with Hawkeye in order for him to calm down before going to see his brother. The walk to the room was a perfect opportunity to allow Roy time to think.

There was just so many things wrong with what he had heard. Oh he had no doubt that Alphonse was telling the truth but the parts of the story just didn't make sense. There were big pieces of information missing and without them a ton of things just didn't add up. But at the moment, the only one who could be relied on to fill those areas was currently laying on a hospital bed unconscious.

Roy sighed and pushed himself off the wall, continuing down the hall. It was times like this he felt he was getting too old.

"Colonel Mustang!" Roy turned around to see a blue clad figure running down the hall towards him. Sergeant Major Fuery stopped in front of him, offering a stiff salute. Roy nodded and Fuery pushed his glasses farther up his nose. Roy had sent Fuery, along with a handful of other soldiers out to Michael Phelps' place to look for any evidence or clues as to what had happened there.

"Colonel sir, we've found something that we need you to see."

* * *

><p><strong>So...yeah. That basically it for that one. Thoughts, complaints, questions, unicorns? Do you love it, like it, wanna beat it with a baseball bat and then insenerate it? Please tell me what you think, your guy's reviewsopinions are so important to me. Plus, everyone who reviews gets a lock of either Ed's or Alphonse's hair! I know who would pass that up! :D Until next time**

**IzzyGirl45 :)**


End file.
